The Lord of the Rings: Furuba Style
by 57 heinz varieties
Summary: For some reason, the characters of Furuba seem to fit disturbingly well with the characters of LOTR. It's the same story line of LOTR, with a fruity kick. Chapter 7 up.
1. Chapter 1: Haru's Return

Backstory for those who don't know: This is a mix of Fruits Basket and Lord of the Rings. In Fruits Basket, when a member of the Sohma family is hugged by someone one of the opposite gender they turn into one of the Chinese Zodiac animals. They turn back after awhile but when they do…well, you'll find out. That is if you don't already know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or LOTR. Or anything else of value. But I wish I did. --;

These are the character match ups for this story. There might be slight changes in the future, so bare with me for now:

Tohru Honda- Frodo Baggins

Kyo and Yuki Sohma- Samwise Gamgee (they had to both be put in that character's position for Fruits Basket related reasons)

Uo- Merry

Hana- Pipen

Haru Sohma- Gandalf the Grey

Tohru's Grandpa- Bilbo Baggins

Hatori Sohma- Aragorn

Kana- Arwen (Somebody had to be Aragorn and Arwen so I figured it might as well be people who were in love. -)

Ayame Sohma- Legolas

Shigure Sohma- Gimli

Momiji Sohma- Gollum (Don't worry! He won't die!)

Kagura Sohma- Gladriel

Ritsu Sohma- Elrond

Hiro Sohma- King Theoden

Kisa Sohma- Eowyn

Kureno Sohma- Boramir

Rin Sohma- Faramir (I know she's a girl, but there were no more boy characters for me to use.)

Akito Sohma- Sauramon

P.S. I'm a writing travesty. Please don't laugh at me. I can't write descriptive sentences.

**Chapter 1: Haru's Return**

A young girl sat up against a tree in a vast expanse of forest. Hearing the sound of a person coming down the nearby dirt trail, she stood up to greet the traveler. The traveler just happened to be a tall young man with handsome features anyone would envy and hair whiter than snow. Upon seeing the traveler, clad in a gray robe, the young girl's face lit up. "You're late." The girl said to the traveler.

The teen looked up at the girl and frowned. "A Sohma is never late. Nor are we early. We arrive precisely when we mean to."

A moment of silence occurred between them until the two burst out in laughter for reasons unknown, because the joke wasn't really that funny. The girl suddenly jumped at the man and engulfed him in a bear hug. A loud pop sounded through the forest and suddenly the girl was hugging a rather large cow with a tuft of white hair on its head.

"Oops. I forgot." She giggled.

"It's all right Tohru. Since you're here, why don't we go into town together? You can ride on my back if you like." The cow responded.

The girl nodded then hastily climbed onto the previously man gone livestock and tightly hugged his neck. "It's wonderful to see you Haru!"

"Umm, that's a…nice Tohru, but uh…you're…squashing my…larynx…" Tohru quickly released her death grasp and the sputtering Haru gathered himself. He chuckled for a moment, which was really weird considering cows can't laugh, then proceeded down the road toward the town.

As they approached the little village, people came out and smiled in delight at the sight of Haru. They quickly ran back into their houses and gathered baskets of food and clothing for the cow and piled it onto Tohru's lap, then hastily scampered away like English school girls.

"Why can't all towns I travel to love me like yours does?" Haru questioned.

Walking further down the road, they come up to a block of houses. Haru tried to be nice, but the people in these houses were less friendly and some even scowled at seeing the cow.

"You've lost your touch with these people, Haru."

"Have I? I'd rather think of it as a temporary malfunction. Give me an hour and a basket of muffins and they will love me yet."

They continued down the road until they reached a small house embedded into the side of a hill. Tohru hopped off of Haru and walked him to the door where she rapped on the hard wood. Bustling could be heard from inside as a voice shouted, "Kyoko? Is that you?"

Tohru giggled and said, "No Gramps! It's me! Tohru!"

"Tohru? What do you want lassie?"

"I come with a friend." Tohru said.

"Really? Well let's see…" the voice said as the door creaked open and a short, old man came into view. Suddenly, another pop similar to the one before was heard and a cloud of smoke appeared, revealing a completely naked Haru. Tohru quickly shielded her eyes and Haru dove behind a bush. The old man chuckled and said, "Haru, my boy. What a…wonderful delight to see…all of you. Certainly not the birthday present I expected, but it's the thought that counts. Well, you best get clothed. Young Tohru's not even married yet."

After finally succeeding from several rather pathetic attempts to sneak the nude Haru into the house without being seen, the three happily chatted away about the night's upcoming festivities. "Damn, I'm getting too old for parties." The old man said.

"Speaking of that, how old are you exactly?" Tohru asked.

"You know better than to ask someone that Tohru Honda." said her grandpa.

"Let's just say his candles cost more than his cake." Haru grinned.

The old man rolled his eyes and stood up. "We best go down there before everyone throws a hissy. Oh, and Haru, don't you have some relatives that live here?"

"Ah, yes. Yuki and Kyo. I'm sure Yuki won't mind seeing me, but Kyo…"

Tohru suddenly interjected. "Kyo has become more kind since the last time you were here. I'm sure he wouldn't mind seeing you at all."

"Probably because of you."

Tohru's face suddenly became so red, a tomato would have been paler. She turned away and muttered, "I d-don't know about that."

Tohru's grandpa chuckled to himself and motioned the other two to come out the door and go to the party waiting for them down the hill. When the three of them reached the party, Tohru's grandpa was bombarded by yammering guests and friends. As the small pack of people led the old man away, Tohru took Haru's hand and led him over to a table where two boys around Tohru's age stood glaring at each other. One boy had angelic features and long purple-gray hair. He was dressed in calf length gray pants and a button down white shirt. The other boy, equally handsome, had a slightly rougher look about him and bright orange hair. He also had a button down shirt and calf length pants but his shirt was black and the pants were a khaki color. The two appeared to be arguing about something. As Tohru and Haru approached, the orange haired boy leapt at the other. But instead of hitting his target, he hit the ground when the other boy sidestepped him. The orange haired boy growled and said, "Damn rat!"

As he prepared for yet another attack, Tohru jumped in between them. "Please, stop. We have a visitor." She said urgently gesturing towards Haru.

Haru grinned sheepishly and nodded toward the calmer boy, "Yuki, a pleasure to see you."

He then looked down at the orange haired boy being calmed by Tohru and nodded towards him, "Kyo. Not really a pleasure, but whatever."

"What the hell are you doing here, Haru?" Kyo growled as he stood back up. He then received a rather nasty thwhack on the head by the boy named Yuki.

"Don't be rude Kyo," Yuki said. "Haru was just saying hello."

"Honestly Kyo. Is that any way to greet your cousin?" Haru chided.

Kyo scoffed and sat down at a table as Yuki looked at him in disgust. Tohru, sensing that that things weren't going well, grabbed Yuki and Kyo's hands and led them out to a clearing set up for dancing. Music suddenly sounded through the area as other people ran to the floor to get their groove on. Tohru left the two boys baffled on the dance floor then proceeded to drag Haru out there as well. Tohru started dancing and began to urge the others to do the same. One by one, the three men slowly, and very awkwardly, started to dance. After they had been out there awhile, Kyo miraculously convinced Yuki to have a dance-off. "This should be good." Haru chuckled.

Everyone on the dance floor, having acknowledged the two teens' challenge, they cleared a 20 foot radius on the floor. And with that, the dance-off commenced.

Kyo broke out in a rather violent Running Man as Yuki went into a graceful Moonwalk. Kyo scowled and began to do the robot. Yuki, looking unfazed, began to do the Electric Slide as everyone watched in awe at his poise and beauty.

Determined to beat Yuki out, Kyo attempted a head spin but only succeeded in hurting himself when he lost his balanced and landed in a conveniently placed thorn bush. Yuki, on the other hand, began stepping to the dance from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video.

Applause from the crowd during Yuki's dance symbolized his victory and Kyo's defeat. Kyo let out a flurry of colorful language as he stomped back towards the table. Tohru followed him and called his name. Kyo stopped and turned around only to have a face full of Tohru as she slipped on a wet spot on the ground and fell into his arms. A pop resonated throughout the area and Tohru found herself staring into the eyes of a bright orange cat.

"Damnit! If you were gonna do that, you should have left me the hell alone!" the cat hissed at Tohru. Tohru's eyes welled with tears as she turned around and walked back up the hill.

"Idiot!" Yuki said to Kyo as he walked up the hill after Tohru.

"Miss Honda," Yuki called.

Tohru stopped and looked back, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't cry about such a foolish thing." Tohru said.

"That idiot cat shouldn't have said that," Yuki comforted. "Come on. Let's go back and dance."

Tohru smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Once they reached the dance floor again, they noticed that Kyo had turned back into his regular self and had begun to sulk as he watched everyone else enjoy the party. After a few fast paced songs, a slower, mellower song began to play. Tohru blushed and Yuki held out his hand to her and smiled. "Would you care to dance?"

Tohru blushed even deeper and nodded a yes. Carefully positioning themselves as to not be hugging, they danced to the slow playing music. Nearby, a rather annoyed cat watched as the couple happily danced away to the music. He couldn't figure out why he was so mad at the fact she was dancing with him. He sat there for a few more minutes until he was annoyed to the point of beginning to unconsciously claw away at the wooden table. After several more minutes of sulking, he stood up and walked up to the couple blushing furiously. "Um, can I, uh, cut in?"

Haru, having been dancing off on his own and just happening to be passing back by, answered with, "I wouldn't really think Yuki would want to dance with _you_ Kyo."

"That's not what I meant damnit! Don't twist my words around Haru! I meant with…"

"With who then if not Yuki?" Haru asked, fighting the urge to burst out laughing.

"Shut up! I meant with T-t-toh…ru…" He muttered, turning away in embarrassment.

"Yuki! Let's go get punch!" Haru said, grabbing Yuki's shirt and dragging him off in the opposite direction, leaving the red faced cat and Tohru alone on the dance floor. Kyo suddenly grabbed Tohru's hand and dragged her deeper into the crowd of people.

"Kyo…?"

"Uh, just…come on." Kyo said putting one hand on her waist and the other in her hand. Tohru, not really sure what to think at this point, put her other hand on Kyo's shoulder. After several minutes of rigid dancing, the two finally loosened up enough to enjoy themselves. Tohru blushed and looked away every time Kyo looked her in the eye while Kyo, on the other hand, was grinning like a lovesick kitty. Literally. He was having the time of his life. That is, until the music ended.

"Uh, thank…you…?" Tohru laughed nervously.

"Um, you're welcome?" Kyo said blushing again.

Yuki suddenly burst in between both of them looking frantic, and to Kyo's disappointment, destroying the mood. "Yuki, what's wrong?" Tohru asked.

"Miss Honda! Thank God…" he breathed as he threw his arms around her. A loud pop echoed over the dance floor as a rat emerged from Yuki's clothes, which were now on the ground, and hastily scampered away. Haru suddenly appeared behind them yelling, "But Yuki! It would mean the world to Tohru's grandfather!"

"What would mean the world to him?"

"I simply asked him to dress up in a dress that a friend of your grandfather's used to wear to entertain him on his birthday. Tohru, would you mind convincing him for me? Kyo, you should go with her. You might need to hit…er…help if he throws a tantrum." Haru said.

"Let's go Kyo!" Tohru said, grabbing Yuki's clothes. Kyo looked a little disappointed that he wasn't going to get to dance with Tohru again, but he nodded and followed her after Yuki.

"Yuki! It won't be that bad, will it? I promise not to laugh!"

"I don't." Kyo smirked.

"Miss Honda, do you really want me to do it that badly?"

Tohru nodded. "If it will make my grandpa happy, then please. Would you?"

A cloud of smoke suddenly appeared, revealing Yuki in a nearby tree. Tohru yelped and tossed the clothes up to him then turned away. After he was fully clothed, he jumped down from the tree and looked at Tohru. His eyes suddenly became soft and he smiled. "If it would bring a smile to your face Miss Honda, then yes, I will do it."

"Ha! This is going to be rich. I wish I had a camera," Kyo grinned evilly. "Excellent…"

"On one condition," Yuki continued. "Kyo has to wear it also."

"Over my dead body." Kyo scoffed.

"That can be arranged."

"As if. Even if I did agree, there's only one dress, right? How would we both wear it?"

"Oh, I'm sure Haru can unearth another one." Yuki said.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not gonna wear some stupid dress for some stupid old man!" Kyo growled at Yuki. He then regretted his words when he looked back at a sad looking Tohru.

"I mean…of course I'll do it!" he corrected.

"Hypocrite." Yuki muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"Really Kyo?" Tohru asked.

"Yeah, whatever." He said looking away.

"Thank you! My grandpa will never forget this birthday!"

Haru suddenly emerged from a nearby random bush and said, "And neither will I."

He then snapped his fingers as two dresses appeared on the two flabbergasted teenagers.

Surprisingly, the dresses were quite beautiful; they were long, flowing, and made of a porcelain-like silk. Yes, they were quite breathtaking…on anyone but Kyo. The white silk barely fit over his shoulders and the lace waistline was bursting at the seams from having a man in it.

Yuki looked pretty according to Hana and Uo, two friends of Tohru's. The dress accented his features and his slim figure fit well into the tight silk. Some guys even came up to him and asked him to dance. He kindly turned them down through gritted teeth.

"God Haru! Why the hell do we have to where these? Why couldn't Tohru wear it? She is a girl after all…" Kyo asked, wincing from the constricting garment.

"Actually, Tohru's grandfather requested that Tohru wear it originally, but I thought it would be cute if Yuki wore it and the fact that he somehow persuaded you to wear it too was an added bonus." Haru laughed to himself.

At hearing this, Kyo finally succeeded in tearing the dress apart and Yuki's lovely face became a portrait of pure hate. As the two proceeded to beat on Haru, Uo laughed and Hana did something that closely resembled laughing. After the smack down ceased, Yuki and Kyo looked a little happier and Haru looked like a pile of raw meat. Tohru, who had somehow found their clothes, handed them to Yuki and Kyo, apologizing for the event that had occurred. "It was not your fault Miss Honda. Our moronic cousin was the one who caused that to happen." Yuki said.

"Yeah. You shouldn't have to apologize for that psycho cow." Kyo said. After that, the two boys quickly ran to the woods to change their clothes. Tohru's grandfather, who had been watching this scene from afar, helped Haru back up.

"You brought that upon yourself, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But at least it was fun for me. Y'know, before the whole 'Let's kill Haru' thing." He said.

A few minutes later, Yuki and Kyo emerged from the woods in their own clothes. Yuki tossed the dress he was wearing at Haru's feet and Kyo did the same.

"What a shame," Haru frowned. "Well, might as well give the dress to the real person who was supposed to wear it."

He then snapped his fingers again and the dress appeared on Tohru. Tohru blushed as Kyo's mouth dropped a little and Yuki also turned a deep shade of crimson. The dress was perfect for her. The white silk made her eyes stand out and the hair that fell onto her now bare shoulders gave her an almost heavenly aura. "Look at how beautiful our little Tohru is!" Uo said out of nowhere.

"Yes, our little Tohru is growing up." Hana sighed.

"Well, time for my speech!" Tohru's grandpa interrupted.

He stood up on a sturdy picnic table and cleared his throat to gain the attention of the crowd. "Ladies, gentlemen…and Haru!" he said. This gained a laugh from the crowd and a look of disapproval from Haru.

"Today is my birthday! I trust my actual age is unnecessary information at this point, but nonetheless! I've been around many years and I've seen many things and I feel as if I needed a proper goodbye before I leave this world. You have all been very kind to me throughout my long life and I would just like to thank you."

He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled something out but it went unseen, for he hid it behind his back as soon as he removed it from his pocket. Haru's eyes suddenly narrowed as he began to part his way through the crowd. "Well, goodbye." Tohru's grandpa said. Then, right before their eyes, he vanished into thin air.


	2. Chapter 2: The Story of the Ring

disclaimer: i don't own the rich people's stuff, blah, blah, blah...

everything is sketchy. it sounds dull. i wrote this like 5 months ago and i'm just now rereading it. damn, it sucks. like paris hilton in a dark hotel room. ba-zing!

seriously, don't make fun of me.

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**Chapter 2: The Story of the Ring**

Haru immediately sensed something wonky was going down and ran back to Tohru's grandpa's house. When he reached the door, he heard movement from inside the house and had a feeling that it wasn't burglars. He quietly opened the door and sneaked inside just before he saw Tohru's grandfather stuffing a few papers into a brown sack.

"I suppose you thought that was terribly clever." Haru said to the old man. The old man jumped a little and then laughed.

"Oh! It was just a little bit of fun."

"So. Where exactly are you going to go?" Haru asked him. The old man pulled out a ring from his pocket and began fidgeting with it as he began telling Haru where he planned to go.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but…where exactly did you get that ring? I feel as if I've seen it before…" Haru said, beginning to reach out for it, but just as quickly withdrawing his hand.

"Oh, this?" the old man said, holding out the ring. "I, uh, don't remember. I've had it for such a long time."

"What about Tohru?" Haru said trying to get off the subject.

"I'm leaving everything to her. Including this ring. As much as I would love to have her come with me, I can't take her away from her friends. Especially those cousins of yours. That orange-haired one would kill me."

"Yes. They both seem to be quite fond of her…" Haru said.

"Well, I'd best be going!" the old man said, opening his front door.

"Uh, aren't you forgetting something?" Haru asked.

"Like what?" The old man countered.

"You still have the ring."

"Oh, yes…well, uh…" he muttered. He looked at the ring that was still in his hand and dropped it on the floor.

"Good bye, Haru." He said. He then left, traveling silently into the night.

Haru's mind raced. He wanted so badly to pick up the ring but he was frightened at what would happen if he did.

"Grandpa! Are you here?" came Tohru's voice from the door. She came into the house and saw Haru looking at the fireplace. She began to walk toward him when she stepped on something cold. Tohru bent down to pick up the beautiful gold ring she had seen her grandfather holding earlier that day.

"Haru? Why is this on the floor?"

"Tohru. I need you to do something for me," Haru turned to her, his face more serious than she had ever seen it before. "I need you to hide this ring. I need to go up north for a few days."

"But, why?"

"It would be better if you didn't know Tohru. Just promise me you'll keep it safe and secret."

Tohru nodded. "I promise."

"I must go now. Tell Yuki and Kyo goodbye for me. I'll come back soon." He said turning towards the door.

"I would hug you but…well, you know." He said before he walked out of the door towards his solemn destination.

A few days had passed since Haru had been gone. Tohru had done as he promised and had kept the ring hidden. One night, after coming home from hanging out with Hana and Uo, she entered her grandfather's house to find Haru pacing around the living room looking like he had just found out someone dropped a piano on his mother. "Haru? What are you do-"

"Is it hidden? Is it safe?" Haru breathed, grabbing Tohru's shoulders and shaking her.

"Yes! I hid it like you told me to."

"Where is it? I need to see it!"

Tohru ran off to her grandfather's old room and dug the ring out of the chest she had hidden it in days before. She brought it back out to Haru and set it on the table. Haru's eyes widened in fear. He stumbled backward and fell back into a chair where he wiped his brow and stared at the ground in confusion. After doing this for a few minutes, he stood up and walked towards the fire. He grabbed the poker, picked up the ring with it and tossed it into the fire. "Tohru, hold out your hand."

Tohru's eyebrow's arched in doubt but she held her hand out anyway. Haru looped the ring on the end of the poker again and dropped it into Tohru's hand. The ring was surprisingly cold in her hand. She wanted to drop it but she was worried Haru might freak again.

"Tohru, do you see anything unusual about the ring?"

Tohru looked back down at the ring and shook her head. "It looks the same as when I saw it the day you left."

Haru sighed in relief and plopped back down on the chair he had fallen into before. Tohru watched as he did this and then looked back down at the ring. She gaped in amazement as tiny gold letters formed on the sides of the ring. "Wait, Haru. There's writing. But it's in another language. I can't read it."

Haru shot up out of the chair and ran over to Tohru. Seeing the ring, his face dropped.

"There aren't many that can read it. It says 'One ring to rule them all, one ring to curse them for eternity, one ring to bring them to their knees and extinguish them forever.' This ring is very powerful Tohru. It holds the secrets to the Sohma family's past. This is ring is what causes the Sohma family to bare the horrors of the Zodiac curse."

Tohru gasped. "You mean this is what causes you to turn into…"

"Yes. I'm afraid so."

"Then we should destroy it! The curse will be lifted if it is destroyed, won't it?"

"Yes Tohru. But it can only be destroyed by the fires that forged it. In the fires of Mt. Doom."

"Then we must take it there!" Tohru cried.

"That's all hunky dory but you have to take into account that it's a freaking volcano. In the middle of a polluted wasteland devoid of life and water. Yeah, good luck." Haru paused to end his onslaught of sarcasm.

"There is another problem Tohru. There are those who seek the ring's power. Seek it to use it against the Sohma family. But there is one being who wants it more that anyone. If he should somehow come upon it, the Sohma family will be wiped out and cause a misbalance of power. Evil will triumph for the rest of eternity."

"Then we should hide it! Never speak of it again. No one knows it's here but us, right?"

Haru bowed his head. "There was one other who knew your grandfather had the ring. I tried and tried but I could not find the person known as Momiji. I'm afraid our enemy found him before I could. While interrogating him, they managed to get two words out of him. 'Tokyo' and…'Honda'."

"But…that would lead them to a car dealership!"

"What? No! It would lead them here, which is precisely why you need to leave now. You must take the ring as far from here as possible and never, under any circumstances, put it on. You need to travel without me for a while. I will meet you at the inn of The Prancing Pony."

For the next few minutes, Tohru ran around the house gathering as much food and supplies as she could carry. When she was finished, she returned to the room where Haru was waiting.

"I'm ready." She stated.

She had a large pack strapped to her back with cups and pans dangling off the sides and a blanket rolled up and attached to the top of the sack. She had also strung the ring around a chain and put it around her neck. Haru couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of the girl slouching over from the weight of the pack. Suddenly, they heard the bushes outside the window rustle.

"Tohru! Get down!" Haru hissed.

Tohru ducked behind a chair as Haru cautiously approached the window and used the fire poker to poke down into the bushes. "Ow!" said the bush.

Haru, recognizing the voice, scowled and pulled up two heads from the bushes below the windowsill. "Kyo and Yuki Sohma! What are you doing here? A little late to be pruning isn't it?"

Kyo swatted away Haru's hand and jumped through the window while Yuki, like a civil human being, used the door. Yuki walked over to Tohru and said to Haru, "Where ever Miss Honda goes, I will go too."

"The same goes for me." Kyo piped up. He hastily ran from the window to Tohru's side. Haru sighed and shook his head. He then looked up at the three of them and smiled.

"I don't suppose it would be possible to separate the three of you."

"You bet your ass!" Kyo shot back. He then turned away after realizing what he said.

"Well, I'm a Sohma too. I wouldn't particularly like being destroyed."

"Exactly how long were you two listening?" Haru smirked.

Yuki sighed. "We heard everything."

"Well I guess you have no choice. You will accompany Tohru. Now hurry home and pack. And only one bag for the both of you. Tohru packed enough food in her bag to sustain you for your trip." Haru said.

The two boys nodded and hurried off to pack for the long journey ahead.

Haru soon left and bid Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo a solemn farewell before they left too. Yuki had decided to be a gentleman and offered to carry Tohru's pack as he bestowed upon Kyo the duty of carrying their bag, which he had secretly filled with bricks along with their clothes.

While the three of them traveled down the road, they came across a large field of vegetables that belonged to a nearby resident. Not wanting to walk any more than they had to, they decided to cut through the field. Halfway through, they suddenly heard a rustling nearby. Kyo and Yuki got in front of Tohru, prepared to fight. But their worry turned to annoyance as Hana and Uo popped out from between some stalks of corn carrying armfuls of vegetables.

"Tohru! Hey Uo, its Tohru!" Hana said smiling.

"Yes, I see. Orangey and the Prince are here too." Uo said as her eyebrows raised in suspicion.

Kyo scowled. "Why the hell are you two stealing vegetables? At least if you're going to steal something, steal something good like tuna."

"It seems we've angered the feline." Hana said.

Kyo was about to retort when they suddenly heard a voice yelling, "Hey! Who's been taking my vegetables?"

Hana and Uo thrust the vegetables into Yuki and Kyo's arms and bolted back into the corn. Tohru gasped and followed them. Yuki and Kyo stood dumbstruck as the yelling became closer. They looked at each for a moment then dropped the vegetables and ran after the girls. They soon caught up with them as Yuki yelled, "Just how much did you take?"

"Just a few carrots." Uo said, pushing aside some corn stalks.

"And some turnips." Hana chimed in.

"Some radishes too."

"And that sack of potatoes we lent you last week."

Uo continued to run as she said, "So, as you can see, they're clearly overreacting!"

She halted as she came upon a steep hill. Before she could yell to the others, Hana, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo ran into her and they all tumbled down the hill, grunts and yells accompanying their descent.

When they reached the bottom, they all stood up and rubbed their now bruised backsides. As Kyo began yelling at Hana and Uo, Tohru stepped out onto a random dirt road and looked around. She didn't know why, but she had the feeling the something dangerous was headed their way. Yuki came out onto the road followed by Hana, Uo, and a silently steaming Kyo. Tohru looked up in fear as she yelled, "Get off the road!"

She beckoned everyone to follow her as she ducked underneath a large tree root jutting out of the ground. Everyone looked a little confused, but they followed her anyway. As soon as they were all underneath the root, they heard footsteps overhead. Tohru felt herself reach for the ring and try to put it on but Kyo grabbed her hand and mouthed the word, "No."

A robed figure came into view above them. It appeared to be looking for something, for its head swished back and forth violently, presumably scanning the forest for its target. Yuki untied a pan from Tohru's pack and hurled it off to the right where it landed with a thud. The figure's footsteps could be heard as it rushed off in the direction of the noise.

"Holy shit! What the hell was that?" Hana whispered.

Tohru searched her mind for the answer and could only come up with one logical explanation. She glanced at Yuki and Kyo and sensed that they were thinking the same thing: that was one of those things Haru had been talking about. She shivered despite herself.

Tohru stood up and began to run farther down the hill. Hana and Uo didn't ask and took off after her followed suit by Yuki and Kyo. They ran for almost 10 minutes before Hana begged for a rest. Everyone agreed to this idea and sat down for a few minutes to catch their breath.

"What was that?" Hana said between breaths.

Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo exchanged troubled glances. Uo looked Tohru right in the eye and said, "That thing was looking for something. Or _someone._ Tohru?"

"We should keep going." Tohru said trying to get off the subject.

"Good idea." Kyo said standing up.

Yuki nodded and said, "Right. We need to find a way to travel without that thing being able to follow us. Any ideas?"

"I know! There's a river nearby. It always has one boat on the dock!" Hana said, in an amazing bout of unexplained intelligence.

"Then let's go." Tohru said.

She began running again, as did Kyo and Yuki. An annoyed Uo dragged Hana off the ground as she complained, "I thought we could walk there!"

As Tohru was running, she felt a sense of panic. She didn't want to involve Hana and Uo, but after seeing that thing, but they certainly weren't going to abandon her. Suddenly, as she was sprinting down the hill, a foul smell filled the air.

"You smell that?" she heard Kyo say to Yuki.

"Yeah. It smells like…like…" Yuki trailed off.

"Death." Tohru whispered.

She felt her spine tingle and goose bumps form on her arms. She turned her head just in time to see the figure from before barreling towards her at an alarming speed. She felt a pair of strong arms grab her shoulders from behind as the thing fell past her. She landed on top of somebody and watched as Yuki jumped at the creature and tried to head it off. Hana and Uo appeared behind Tohru as she pulled herself off an irritated Kyo.

"That thing is going down." He too leapt at the creature, and with the combined forces of the cat and the rat, they managed to knock it down.

"Run!" Yuki shouted.

They took off down the hill and eventually came upon the river that Hana had mentioned earlier. Sure enough, there was a single boat and oars tied to the dock. Hana and Uo hastily jumped into the boat as Kyo attempted to untie it from the dock. As soon as Kyo successfully undid the rope, he jumped into the boat and kicked off from the dock. Yuki suddenly jumped onto the boat out of nowhere, fuming.

"What the hell?" Kyo said.

"Miss Honda and I weren't even on the boat yet!" Yuki yelled.

"Well I thought you wer-"

The color suddenly drained from both of their faces as they turned to see Tohru frantically running down the dock being closely tailed by the hooded shadow.

"TOHRU!" Yuki and Kyo yelled in unison.

The thing was almost right behind her as she reached the end of the platform and made an astounding eight foot leap into the boat. When she made it to the boat, her momentum sent her reeling into the arms of Yuki. She rubbed her head and hastily apologized to the rat now standing before her.

"What were you thinking?" Yuki yelled at Kyo.

"How the hell was I supposed to know?"

"Hey! Bert, Ernie, shut the hell up. Look." Uo said to the two boys.

They turned around and watched as the figure took off into the forest. "Where's the nearest crossing?" Yuki asked.

"About twenty miles from here." Hana said.

"That will take him a while. Especially on foot. We're safe." Kyo said.

"Safe! Tohru almost didn't make it! If she hadn't…" Yuki gave Kyo a look so threatening, Kyo decided it was best to move to the opposite side of the boat. For the next ten minutes, Yuki fumed in solitude on one end of the boat as Kyo collected himself on the other end. Yuki's body chose this point in time to revert back to human form. This was especially awkward seeing as Yuki really had nothing to hide behind. Kyo couldn't help but snort with laughter as Yuki grabbed his clothes and tried covered himself.

Tohru turned around and, with much debate, Uo managed to convince Hana to turn around also. Yuki put on his clothes as fast as he could and gave the okay to the girls to turn back around. Tohru and Uo sat down on the boat and picked up the oars as Hana looked at the fully clothed Yuki, frowning.

As Tohru began to row, she felt Kyo snatch the oar from her hands and mutter, "Don't trouble yourself. I'll do it."

Seeing Kyo do this, Yuki politely asked Uo if he could row instead of her too. Kyo smirked as Yuki sat down beside him and they both began rowing. Kyo, insisting that everything be a contest, was constantly trying to row faster than Yuki. Yuki ignored Kyo but still rowed as fast as he could. With both of them rowing at max power, they reached the shore that was, supposedly, ten miles away, in three minutes. They all got out of the boat and walked silently through the forest.

After about twenty minutes of walking, they came upon a large fort-like structure that towered fifty feet over their heads. Tohru walked up to a large door on the side of the large wall and knocked. A man suddenly opened the door and looked at them questioningly. "Who are you?"

"Hello! I'm T-"

"She's Reika Minakawa. And we are friends of hers," Yuki interrupted. "We would like to stay at the inn if it's not too much trouble."

The man still eyed them suspiciously but let them come in through the large doors. "Not often teenagers travel alone. What business do you have here?"

"We are to meet a friend. Perhaps you've heard of him. Haru Sohma?"

"Oh yeah. Real tall guy, with white hair right?"

Tohru smiled. "Yes, that's him!"

"Well I haven't seen him around here for about…three months."

Tohru's face dropped and Hana and Uo tried to comfort her. "I'm sure he just isn't here yet. He probably got held up somewhere along the way." Uo said.

"Yeah, he probably stopped at a strip joint or Chuck E. Cheese or something. He'll show up. He always does." Hana reminded her.

They all continued down the road in the fort until they came across a smaller building. It had a sign hanging above the door that said, 'The Prancing Pony.' They filed inside to find themselves in an environment that closely resembled a bar. Everyone had a drink in their hands and they all happily chatted away with each other or danced to fiddle music.

While Hana and Uo went to the front desk to get reservations, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo sat down at a nearby table. "This place should be safe for now," Kyo said looking around. "No one knows who we are."

"Speaking of that, Yuki why didn't you tell that man my real name?"

"Miss Honda, we don't know who we can trust here. I'm not going to take any chances. You might get hurt."

Tohru blushed. She had never seen him so worried about her before. She looked around the little pub, searching for any sign of Haru. While doing so, she noticed a hooded gentleman staring at her from the corner of the room. She quickly turned back around just as Uo and Hana were returning to the table.

"Crap. That guy totally overcharged us. We could only afford a two bed room. Hey Orangey, I hope you know that you have to pay me back for paying for the room." Uo said to Kyo.

"Why the hell should I pay for…wait. Did you say two beds?" Kyo asked in confusion.

"Yeah," Hana piped up. "Tohru, Uo, and I can share a bed so I guess that means…"

Kyo stood up so fast, he knocked his chair over and Yuki's eyes became wider than dinner plates.

"Hell no! What makes you think I would even consider sharing a bed with that pretty boy?" Kyo steamed.

Yuki suddenly punched Kyo into a large stack of heavy wooden chairs and turned back to the girls. "I would much rather sleep on the floor."

Kyo stood back up from the now pile of chairs and massaged his jaw. "Damn you."

Kyo charged at Yuki. Yuki easily evaded his attack and countered with a swift roundhouse kick to Kyo's stomach. At this point, the crowd had gathered near them to watch as Yuki beat the stuffing out of Kyo. In the midst of their brawl, Kyo fell backward into the crowd and knocked Tohru over. Tohru yelped as she came in contact with the floor. She brought her hand to the base of her neck and was surprised when she didn't feel the ring. She quickly got on all fours and searched the floor for the ring. When she saw it, she almost leapt at it but hesitated when a large shoe stepped on top of it. She slowly looked up and recoiled when she realized it was the man that had been staring at her earlier. He stepped off the ring and picked it up with a gloved hand. He slowly held it out to Tohru as she stood up.

"Yours?" he said.

"Um…yes. Thank you." Tohru said grabbing it from the man's palm. Kyo, who had realized that it was Tohru he knocked over, came pushing through the crowd to apologize. "Tohru, I'm sor-"

"Kyo," the man in the hood said. "Long time no see."

He reached up and pulled back his hood to reveal a handsome man with jet black hair and piercing hazel eyes. Yuki appeared next to Tohru and stared in awe at the man.

"Yuki," the man said. "Nice to see you too."

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fuck. i ended in the worst possible place. i'm a horrible, horrible person.

but it isn't my fault. it's hereditary. blame my crack-peddling parents.

kidding. or am i?


	3. Chapter 3: Hatori and the Wraiths

hmmmm. this chapter is kind of short. just more evidence that i'm lame.

but even though i think i'm lame, some of your reviews seem to suggest otherwise. and that's kind of nice. it's a step up from my self-loathing mindset, and it makes me feel, dare i say it, happy. so keep reviewing, cuz me likes.

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**Chapter 3: Hatori and the Wraiths**

"What are you doing here?" Yuki asked the man.

"What am _I_ doing here? I believe the better question is what are you doing here? And with three young _women_ no less. Isn't that rather dangerous?"

"They know Hatori." Kyo muttered.

"They know? Well then I guess I shouldn't be worried."

"Excuse me," Tohru squeaked at the man. "I'm so sorry but…who are you?"

The man smiled and held out his hand to her. "I'm Hatori Sohma. Pleased to meet you…?"

"Tohru!" she said shaking his hand. "My name is Tohru Honda."

"Ah, Tohru. What brings you and my dear cousins to The Prancing Pony?"

"None of your damn business Hatori." Kyo fired at him. Yuki then smacked him on the back of the head.

"Don't be rude Kyo. Hatori was just trying to be nice to Miss Honda. But I would like to know why he is here."

Hatori smirked. "I have come to help you. Or rather, the ring bearer." He said turning back to Tohru. Suddenly, Uo and Hana popped out of the crowd.

"Hi," Hana panted. "Did we miss anything?"

Tohru giggled. "We found another Sohma! This is Hatori Sohma!"

"I'm Uo. And my dark little friend here is Hana."

"Howdy." Said Hana.

"A pleasure." Hatori said. "But I need to discuss something with the five of you. Please come with me." He gestured towards the door.

Everyone walked out the door with him where he led them to the one of the inn's room buildings. "Oh! Our room is 203." Hana said.

When they walked in, Hatori went to the innkeeper and said, "If anybody comes asking, the occupants of room 203 are here." Hatori then laid a hefty stack of gold coins in front of the man. The man nodded and Hatori asked for the others to come with him.

They walked out of the building and across the courtyard to another inn building. They entered and climbed the stairs to the top floor where Hatori brought them into a large room with three beds and some cots set up in the room.

"You will all stay in this room tonight. Do not leave this room. If you want food, I will get it for you."

"Does this mean I just wasted my money to get us a room?" Uo asked.

"Yeah. It sort of does." Hatori said.

"Well at least now we get free room service." Hana said, flopping onto one of the beds.

"You!" said Hana, pointing at Hatori. "Fetch me a Coke and bag of Doritos!"

"Not that kind of room service." Hatori said.

"Please, let me tell you why I'm here." As everybody sat down on a bed or cot, Hatori began his tale.

"As I'm sure you all are aware of, this ring that Tohru is holding is the reason we Sohma's bear the Zodiac curse. I'm sure you also know that there are evil powers looking for that ring as we speak." Uo and Hana glanced at Tohru and gave her a knowing look.

"I have been told by my superiors to protect you. Haru has been delayed somewhere so I will accompany you to Rivendale, home to the elves and their King, Ritsu Sohma."

"You're kidding me right? Who the hell would make him a King?" Kyo asked.

"Apparently elves." Yuki said.

"Anyways, your fates will be decided by Ritsu and the High Counsel as to whom will take the ring to Mt. Doom. That creature who attacked you was a called a wraith. It serves under the evil force that threatens to wipe out the Sohmas. There are eight others like it who will stop at nothing to get that ring. Which is why you must not put it on Tohru. It will lead them right to us."

Tohru looked at the gold ring in her hand and wondered how so small a thing could cause so much worry. "After you eat, you all need to go to bed. We leave at dawn towards Rivendale." Hatori stated.

Hatori went back into the hallway and pulled a cart in the room stacked high with every kind of food from the menu. Hana and Uo didn't waste time and began to carry off trays of 4 or more plates of food for themselves.

Tohru grabbed a plate of spaghetti and sat down on one of the beds. Yuki, for some odd odd reason, gave Kyo a plate of what looked much like tuna casserole.

"Uh, okay..." Kyo said taking the plate and sitting down next to Tohru.

Yuki sat down on the other side of Tohru holding a plate of three cheese ravioli. As the hungry teenagers dug into their food, Hatori looked out of the window in silence. Kyo suddenly jumped up from his position next to Tohru, knocking his food all over the floor. "LEEKS! LEEKS DAMNIT! No wonder you gave me that!"

"Took you long enough," Yuki chuckled.

"I'll kill you!" Kyo leapt at Yuki in a blur of orange and black. Missing his target, he launched himself back at Yuki hoping to catch him off his guard. Tohru, sensing that things were about to get out of control, stepped in front of Kyo. When the two collided, Tohru went reeling backward into the wall and was knocked unconscious while a distraught cat leapt onto the nearby curtains.

"What the hell?" that cat hissed.

"Oh my God! Tohru!" Yuki gasped as he ran over to the clump on the floor that was Tohru. He put his hand behind her head and slowly picked her up and laid her gently on the bed. Suddenly, a blood red aura started emanating from Yuki. He turned to Kyo, still clinging to the curtains in shock, and began walking toward him. Without even the slightest hesitation, Yuki yanked the cat off of the curtains, opened up the glass windows and dropped him from the third floor.

"You damn rrraaaaaaaaatttttttt…" could be heard as the bewildered feline dropped to the ground below.

Hana and Uo ran to the window, looking for smushed cat on the road below while Hatori continued eating his calamari, completely unfazed.

"He's coming back up." Uo smirked.

Not but thirty seconds later, Kyo blasted through the door and hissed menacingly at Yuki. His teeth clenched together as growled, "I…am going…to kick…your…ass."

He barreled at Yuki with all his force and leapt as his head. Yuki easily stepped out of the way of the raging ball of fur hurled itself at his cranium. Which wouldn't have been so bad for Kyo, had Yuki not been standing in front of the window, leaving Kyo, once again, falling towards the ground. Yuki then walked calmly to the door and locked it.

"I wonder how many lives he has left." Hana pondered out loud.

Yuki ran to Tohru's side and clasped her hand in his own. "Tohru…"

Tohru's eyes fluttered open from the feeling of warmth that engulfed her hand. She rolled over to find herself staring into the eyes of a very worried looking Yuki.

"Miss Honda!" he exclaimed, a relieved smile plastered onto his face.

"Thank the Gods you're all right!" It took all his self-restraint not to hug her right there, but his relief turned into annoyance as a loud knock accompanied with an, "Open up damnit!" sounded from the front door.

"Shall I let him in?" Hana asked Yuki.

"Hell no. Let him rot out there for all I care. He is not welcome after doing that to Miss Honda."

"Ummm…what did he do exactly?" Tohru asked rubbing the back of her head.

Uo laughed and replied, "He put the moves on you. Why else would the Prince here be so worried?" In an instant, Yuki's head whipped around and glared at her.

"The moves?" Tohru said in mild confusion. Hatori suddenly shot up from his position at the window and cursed.

"What? Is there something wrong Hatori?" Yuki asked, a worried expression plaguing his features. Hatori looked about ready to punch something as he continued to stare out of the window. Hana scampered over to Hatori's position near the window and gazed out as well.

"HOLY FREAKIN' CRAP!" she yelled as she looked out through the glass. "Those things are outside right no-"

She was cut off by Hatori's hand cupping over her mouth and pulling her underneath the windowsill. "Everyone down!" Hatori hissed.

Suddenly, an piercing scream filled the entire room, forcing everyone to cover their ears in pain. "Gah! What the hell is that?" Uo asked.

"What?" everyone asked. She rolled her eyes in annoyance as the heinous sound continued to resonate in their ears. Then, just as soon as it had started, the scream ceased and everyone slowly dropped their hands from their abused ears.

Hatori peeked hesitantly over the windowsill and sighed. Outside, the creatures were nowhere to be seen having gone into the building where they had previously been. Hatori rubbed his forehead for a moment then strode to the door and let Kyo back in.

"What was that?" Kyo asked, all but forgetting why he had been outside of the room in the first place.

"It's them. The wraiths. Soon they will find out that you all are not where you are supposed to be. For now, you need to go to bed. We will have a long trip ahead of us and we need to get an early start to assure our safety."

Everyone nodded in agreement and separated themselves onto different beds and cots to sleep for the night. As all of the teenagers finally succumbed to sleep, Hatori stared out of the window in thought. He was worried for all of them, but especially Tohru. Her fate would be decided by what path she took on the long journey ahead, and he knew that Kyo and Yuki would also be deeply involved with the same fate.

He shook his head and blew out the small candle on the nearby table. _Whatever the outcome,_ he thought, _this is certainly the beginning of something much greater than any of them could possibly know_.

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wow. cliché.

like i said, i wrote this awhile ago. since then i've gotten into a lot of punk rock music and it kinda of makes me cynical to the rest of the world.

chapter 4 will be up in like five minutes. if my calculations are correct, i stopped writing after chapter 7 or 8, but now thati havefinally posted the damn thing, i suppose that i have to keep writing. so chapter 7 should be a helluva a lot better than the other ones,you can bet your bottom dollar.


	4. Chapter 4: Tohru's Pain

a bit of a change from the normal me, but i actually like this chapter. i went back through it and edited a lot of the sentences so that they sounded more intelligent and meaningful. it's not shakespeare, but hey, it can pass as something written by a smart person.

the beginning is shaky though. just a warning.

p.s. that langaugekana isspeaking is al bhed. if you don't what that is, try the fucking internet because i am not going to go back through and translate it. dunno why i used it in the first place. guess it looked kind of elvish.

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**Chapter 4: Tohru's Pain**

As the sun began to rise, Hatori shook everyone awake. Despite having serious trouble with getting Yuki up, he still managed to wake everyone up in an early enough time to set off before the sun had completely come over the hills.

As the band of six hastily traveled through the forest, the sounds of hungry stomachs quickly put everyone at an annoyingly slow pace. Hatori kicked himself mentally for not thinking about traveling with five teenagers and said, "If we must."

Hana and Uo's eyes lit up instantly as they scampered off to find some fruit to eat for breakfast. Tohru collapsed on a small nest of grass as Yuki and Kyo continued to stand, their heavy packs strapped tightly to their tired shoulders.

"How the hell is our bag so much heavier with only clothes in it? That other bag has clothes, food, and supplies and it still isn't as heavy as this one is." Kyo complained.

"Maybe you're simply weak." Yuki said, staring off into a distant clump of trees.

"Whatever, you know your frail body isn't stronger than mine. You did something to this thing. Don't even try to deny it, rat." Kyo slipped the bag from his shoulders and began rummaging through it to find the source of the heavy weight.

Hatori looked around, waiting for the two girls to finally return from their quest for food so that they could continue on. He silently hoped that this would not continue happening on their way to Rivendale, otherwise they would fall prey to the wraiths before they even reached the glamorous city of the elves. Tohru sat silently on the grass as Yuki joined her, a small smile forming on his lips. "What troubles you Miss Honda?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and smiled. She leaned her head forward and sighed, "I'm just a little worried, that's all."

"What about?" Yuki said concerned.

"It's just that, I don't know what is supposed to happen to all of us. We know so little, even though so much has happened already. I don't want anyone to get hurt. If anyone did, it would be my fault…"

She trailed off as tears began to well in her soft brown eyes. Yuki pushed the pack off of his shoulders and faced Tohru. He tucked a small strand of hair behind her ear and helped her to her feet. "Nothing will happen to anyone. I will protect you from anything and everything, no matter what happens."

Moving slightly closer to her, he placed his hand on her chin. With only a few inches between their faces, Tohru could feel his warm breath on her forehead and she could see the look of deep concern in his beautiful gray eyes flutter to a gentler expression. "Yuki…"

"Shh," he whispered. "Our journey will be hard but you will be protected, I will see to it myself." He squeezed her hand for a moment, picked up his bag, and walked over to Hatori.

Tohru's cheeks felt hot as she watched Yuki walk away and thought about what just happened. She smiled at the thought of knowing that she was surrounded by so many caring people and that they were all willing to so eagerly protect her.

As Yuki walked back towards Hatori, he noticed a distraught Kyo still sifting through their bag in annoyance. He sighed in relief that he had not seen the exchange between Tohru and himself, for he would have certainly intervened on their private moment together. Kyo finally gave up looking after a few minutes then returned the heavy sack onto his shoulders, standing up in disgust.

"Are they back yet?" he said, joining Hatori and Yuki.

"Oy!" Hana's voice said from behind them. They all turned around to see Hana and Uo carrying sacks of apples and jogging toward them. "These will be our breakfast for the next week!" Uo said proudly.

"We will be in Rivendale by tomorrow evening." Hatori said.

"Damn." Hana and Uo said in unison.

Hatori managed a chuckle as he motioned for everyone to follow him again. They trudged on through the day at an almost breakneck pace, not stopping for anything but lunch and bathroom breaks. As the day progressed into afternoon, and the afternoon into night, the tired group of travelers decided to make a camp for the night on a large rock formation.

Hatori informed all of them that he would keep watch for the night and search the area for anything suspicious. Giving them several swords and shields and making sure that all of them were safely hidden among the structure of the rocks, Hatori set out into the night. Tohru was so tired that she fell asleep almost instantly, the cat and the rat following right behind her. Hana and Uo on the other hand were surprisingly chipper despite walking all day and hastily built a fire to warm themselves as well as cook the bacon that they had brought with them for reasons unknown.

As they happily cooked their food, their fire's light and smoke carried for miles, giving their position away to several hooded creatures. Their mission was simple: secure the ring and eliminate those who carry it.

No more than an hour later, Tohru woke up to the smell of bacon cooking in the evening wind. As she sat up, the sight of the fire made her blood run cold. "You must put it out!" Tohru yelled standing up.

The sound of her voice woke up the slumbering Yuki and Kyo to see Tohru looking around for a pail of water.

"You fools," Yuki hissed.

"They'll find us!" Kyo stamped out the fire with his foot, ignoring the heat of the flames.

"What in the hell were you thinking? Oh, wait, you were thinking with your stomachs again!"

Tohru's eyes darted around in worry, scoping the ground for those things that had attacked them at the docks. And to her horror and dismay, five hooded creatures glided slowly above the smoky land naught but a hundred feet below them. She motioned for the others to come and see the frightening figures that drew maddeningly near. Upon the sight of them, Yuki and Kyo both grabbed swords and called for the others to follow their lead. Hana and Uo nodded, grabbed their own swords and followed the two boys up the side of the cliff. Tohru was frightened, more frightened then she had ever felt possible in her entire life. Through all of her fear, she grabbed the last of the swords and headed up after the others, away from the creatures that were following deathly close behind them.

When they finally reached the top of the cliff, they circled up and waited for whatever would come from below the rocks. As they waited for a painstakingly short amount of time, a flood of fear racked over all of their bodies. They all felt frightened; it felt like they had no more time left. And they truly didn't; for the creatures soon mounted the cliff and began to edge closer to them, their sharp swords pointed straight at them.

Yuki and Kyo charged at two of them and managed to keep them at bay as Hana and Uo kept a barrier between Tohru and the creatures that threatened to kill her. Their efforts were in vain, for the remaining creatures easily pushed them aside as Kyo and Yuki continued to fight two of the five other wraiths. The apparent leader of the five stepped ever closer to Tohru as she fell backward and crawled into a corner of rocks.

A million thoughts raced through her head as the wraith closed in on her: the fates of Yuki, Kyo, Hana, Uo, and the others that she had met on her so far ominous journey, as well as the fate of the world if the power who sought to destroy the Sohmas was to succeed. She began to panic and grab anything that she could find to defend herself, but to no avail. The creature was now upon her, so she did the only thing that she could think of: she reached for the golden chain around her neck and slid the ring around her finger.

In an instant, she was enveloped in a white light and before her stood the creature, though slightly changed. It was white rather than black, and its face was in clear view. It was a human; his eyes hollowed and his cheeks sunken. He suddenly began to reach for the ring around her finger as she felt a white wind whip around her body, the feeling it brought feeling colder than death.

The ring gravitated to the man as it was still around her finger. With all her strength, she pulled the ring to her chest and fell back on the hard surfaces of the rocks. The creature, taken aback by her actions, reared his weapon and plunged it into Tohru's left shoulder. A morbid cry escaped her lips as the blade sent searing bolts of pain through her entire body. The man removed his blade, just in time for a mysterious figure to head him off from his right side.

Tohru screamed in agony as she wrenched the ring from her finger and the world became clear again. She clamped onto her shoulder with her opposing hand as she watched Hatori, sword in one hand, a torch in the other, fend off the creatures with his power.

The wraith that had stabbed her charged him head-on, but only felt the sting of Hatori's blade straight through his head as Hatori counterattacked. As the wraith fell to the ground, so did the other two that Kyo and Yuki had been fighting for almost ten minutes without rest. They quickly looked around and saw Hatori finishing off the other two.

Hatori threw a dagger at one of them, but it continued to charge, callous to his attempts to deter his assault. The other reached him sooner, only to be set aflame by the torch that Hatori wielded. Whipping around to see the last of the wraiths about to swing his sword down onto him, Hatori parried the attack in time for the combined forces of Yuki and Kyo to subdue the fiend from behind. As Hatori gathered himself, he swiftly plunged his blade into the wraith's backside, sending it sprawling onto the ground between Yuki and Kyo. The creatures, beaten but not dead, flew off the cliff side it a blackened blur; their soulless robes fluttering down into the depths below.

Yuki and Kyo fled to Tohru's side with grief, fatigue, and fear racking their young faces as they propped Tohru's head up on their cloaks.

"Hatori!" Kyo yelled in panic.

Hatori rushed to the young girl's side. Her eyes were bloodshot and the pupils were slowly changing to an unearthly, milky white. The area on her shoulder that was exposed revealed a grotesque-looking purple-veined gash that seemed to be getting worse by the second. Tohru's hands were shaking and her eyes began to roll into the back her head.

"She's been stabbed by a Wraith Blade." Hatori said, kicking the creature's unattended sword off to the side.

"She will pass onto the other side and become just like them if we don't cure her in time. But I cannot cure her myself, she needs to be in the care of elves now. We must take her to Rivendale." Hatori hoisted Tohru onto his back and proceeded to climb down the rocks.

After an hour of traveling through the dark of night, Tohru's condition was steadily declining. Her skin was paler than snow and ghastly cold. Small gasps of pain emanated from her throat as she bounced up and down in Hatori's arms. Hatori slowed to halt and set her down, sensing that his jarring movements were the casue of some of her discomfort. His eyes widened as he saw her writhe on the ground in shear pain and agony, her mouth contorted into a heart-aching clench.

"Uo," Hatori said suddenly. "Do you know what kings foil is?"

Uo shook her head. "It's a weed."

"Help me find some. It may help to slow the spread of the poison in her body." Hatori said, walking off into the forest. Uo nodded her head and continued off into the other direction.

"I'll help too." Hana said, following Uo.

"As will I," Yuki nodded, as he turned to Kyo. "Watch over her until we get back."

Yuki took off in Hatori's direction, leaving Kyo and Tohru in his wake. Kyo grabbed Tohru's freezing cold hand and attempted to warm it with his own. The sight of her face in pain made him cringe and curse himself for not preventing this from happening. She looked so helpless and frail, it was all he could to keep himself from yelling out in anger.

For a moment, Tohru's body relaxed a little and her breathing became slower and calmer. It was literally painful for him to see her in such a fragile state. He wanted to hold her in his arms, make her feel safe in his embrace, but he knew that he would never be able to. Her lips were cracked dry and icy blue. And Kyo, being the hormonal teenage guy that he was, couldn't help but think that if he could just warm them up somehow, then maybe it would help her recover. He leaned his head closer to hers and stopped right before their lips met.

_What am I doing_?

Kyo shook his head and sat back up. He removed his cloak and covered Tohru with it. Grasping her hands once more, he waited for the others to return with something that would hopefully help Tohru recover from whatever it was that was poisoning her body.

Hatori's eyes searched the ground for any sight of the clover-like plant that he was searching for. He sighed in relief as he saw a small patch of the plant growing by his foot. As he bent down to pull a sprig from the patch, he felt a thin blade catch him from underneath his chin. A warm breath blew into his ear as a sultry voice whispered, "What's this? A man caught off his guard?"

Tohru was slipping in and out of consciousness through the pain of the poison. She could feel Kyo's hands in her own as she tossed and turned on the hard ground. She twisted around and suddenly found herself staring at a blindingly white light. All of her common knowledge about bright white lights told her that it probably wasn't a good idea to follow it. But before she turned her head away from what she thought was death staring down at her, she paused.

If this was death, then why did the light feel so warm?

She soon got her answer.

A woman, the most beautiful and elegant woman she had ever seen, road silently on a white horse towards her body. The woman's voice sounded through her head in a language that she had never heard, but she was somehow able to understand. _Tohru, I am Kana. Do not stray, come back to the light. You cannot lose your way or all will be lost. _

With the fading sound of the women's voice in her head, Tohru slipped out of thought once more.

"She's fading." Kana whispered as she dismounted the white horse. "We need to get her to Rivendale so that she can be healed by the elders."

With the help of Hatori, she hoisted Tohru onto the horse and prepared to mount herself when Hatori stopped her. "No. You can't go by yourself, it's too risky. I will go while you stay here and protect the children."

She climbed onto the horse with Tohru in the front of the saddle. "I am the faster rider. We will be safe once we pass the river." She leaned down within in inch of Hatori's face and smiled.

"I do not fear them."

Hatori breathed in deeply and looked Kana in the eye. "Make haste."

Kana nodded and kicked her horse. With one last look at Hatori, she rode off into the night and into the thick of the forest. "Who was that?" Hana asked.

"A girlfriend, perhaps?" Uo chimed in.

"Like that would ever happen. To Hatori? Please." Kyo smirked.

"Not to cut into the conversation, but is this really the time to be inquiring about Hatori's love life when Miss Honda is so close to death?" Yuki asked, a look of sheer disbelief on his face.

"Maybe not, but I would kind of like to know myself who we just allowed her to ride off with." Kyo said, crossing his arms belligerently over his chest.

Hatori sighed, his hazel eyes following the fading white obscurity weaving through the dark forest.

"She's an elf."

The wind whipped past Kana's hair as she rode silently through the forest, the small bundle that was Tohru slouching forward in her lap. Sharp branches of low hanging trees cut her arms and her face as her horse galloped fluently through the thicket of vegetation, but it would take more than mere surface wounds to distract her from her goal: get Tohru to safety.

Her horse trotted on through the night and into the morning; she would be able to reach the elders by noon if all continued well. But fate was set against her. Within half an hour after sunrise, she sensed something approaching at an alarming speed. Without warning, eight necrotic black wraiths flooded the empty space around her, smothering her from all sides.

She was not afraid of course, but it didn't change the fact that their presence made it difficult for her to ride quickly. She hoped that her horse had enough left in him to speed up and hopefully give her a comfortable amount of space from the creatures to make it across the river in time.

With a tight squeeze of her heels, the horse lurched ahead of the eight black riders. Kana was a bit relieved, but she knew that the race was not over yet. There was still a ways to go before she reached the river. Once she got past the river, the power of her people would protect herself and Tohru from all.

With the river in sight and the wraiths hot on her tail, Kana charged across the plains and into the cool water. When she reached the other side, she turned to find the creatures had halted before the opposite side of the river. Their horses reared and whinnied as the creatures hissed across the water. "Give us the girl!"

"If you want her," Kana sneered, pulling out a silver sword. "Come and claim her."

The remark sent the wraiths into hysterics, and with a final cry budding from their dark hoods, they proceeded to cross the river's waters. Kana closed her eyes and began to chant the words of her ancestors in her native language:

_Cbenedc uv dra nejan_

_Bnudald ic fedr ouin fydanc_

_Kieta ic du uin tacdehydeuh_

_Cbenedc uv dra nejan_

_Bnudald ic fedr ouin fydanc_

_Kieta ic du uin tacdehydeuh_

_Cbenedc uv dra nejan_

_Bnudald ic fedr ouin fydanc_

_Kieta ic du uin tacdehydeuh_

With the final word, the river began to stir. Foamy white rapids crashed into rocks and rolled dangerously around the other objects in their path. Kana felt the ground beneath her rumble, and she smiled dismissively. Unaware to the huge wave that was now roaring towards them at a frightening rate, the wraiths rode across the river only to be pummeled by the water and sent reeling downstream in a shadow of black robes and kicking horses.

Kana's body relaxed for a moment. She was relieved that they wouldn't interrupt the rest of her ride to Rivendale. As she prepared to ride again, the sound of Tohru's deep rasping breaths stopped her in her tracks. She quickly dismounted and laid Tohru's body down next to the river. Kana could see that she was slowly passing to the other side. "No, Tohru! No! Hold on!"

Kana hugged Tohru to her chest. _What grace has given me, let her life be spared. _

Tohru's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a wonderfully crafted Victorian marble ceiling and the shine of the mid-afternoon sun. Her skin felt sweaty and warm under a long cotton gown and thick wool blankets. Trying to remember what happened, she found herself wandering out loud, "Where am I?"

"You are in the master bedroom in the grand chambers of Rivendale. And it is past noon on the sixth of September, if you would like to know." A voice said from a nearby chair.

Tohru sat up and found herself staring into the eyes of a calm and collected looking Haru.

"Haru!" Tohru exclaimed. "Why didn't you meet us?"

"I'm very sorry Tohru. I was…delayed."

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well, you can kind of guess where the next chapter is going. i hate being so predictable, but it can't be avoided.

chapter 5 should be up soon. but don't count on it. i'm very unreliable.


	5. Chapter 5: The Wrath of Akito

this chapter is short too. just in case you're really slow, akito is sauramon and "akira" is sauron.just a heads up.

also, as i've mentioned, i wrote this awhile ago and now i am editing before i post it. when i did write this however, i didn't really know that akito was a woman. i mean, i knew, but i didn't really know until i saw that onescene where akito is practically full frontal nude.

yeah, that gave me nightmares.

anyhoot, i wrote this all in the context that she was a dude, so if you see "him" instead of "her" or"he" instead of "she" don'tyell at me for not correcting it. i am dumb. i miss many things.

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**Chapter 5: The Wrath of Akito**

Haru had to hurry. He needed console from the great witch Akito in time to meet Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo at the inn before they got there. Akito would surely know a lot more than Haru; she was the head of the Sohma family after all. As he approached the tower that Akito dwelled in, he began to have an unsettling feeling in his gut. He shook the thought off as he saw Akito, clad in snow white robes, float down the stairs to where he stood. "Haru! It is so wonderful to see your face."

"Akito, my dear friend. Likewise, it is wonderful to see you." Haru said, bowing slightly.

"Oh," Akito said, motioning for Haru to stand up. "There is no need for that type of thing. Please, come in, we will discuss what ails your mind over a drink."

After a quick catching up with Akito, Haru proceeded into the reason why he came:

"The ring that has been in possession of a dear friend of mine has recently come to my attention. I did some research in the archives and deduced that the ring that he has had for almost 50 years is the same ring that threatens the Sohma family's existence. Freaky, I know. When I learned of this, I immediately sent the granddaughter of my friend, as well as Yuki and Kyo, on a journey to meet me with the ring at an inn naught a hundred miles from here. I come to you now, to seek your thoughts on what should be done about this problem."

Akito held her hands in her lap and pursed her lips. "The ring of power has wanted so desperately to return to its former owner. The great eye in the middle of Mordor is all that remains of the once unstoppable Akira. But his downfall so long ago is a time of the past; he grows steadily stronger with each passing day. He has gathered together many armies and gained many powerful allies that will surely aid him in his attempt to destroy our family. His power is intoxicating and absorbing to all that seek importance. His success in the mission that he is trying to pursue is almost inevitable."

Haru intervened. "But surely there are those who are not in alliance with him. The power of the Sohmas has been rivaled many times, but never has a clean defeat been acquired. We cannot give into his might, no matter how great it may be. Your words have no faith in them. It's as if you have given up on the family entirely."

"No Haru. Not given up, just enlightened about our future." Akito's dark eyes fluttered shut.

"What are you talking about?" Haru whispered, narrowing his eyes.

"Level with me here. The way I see it, there is no other way to survive, Haru. Akira's power grows, and we have no choice but to accept an alliance with him before he destroys us. We must become a partnership to ensure the Sohma's safety."

Haru's eyes blazed as he stood up and took a step closer to the thin and feminine frame of Akito. "The Sohma's safety? What about all of the other people out there? The Sohma's are just a small fraction of the people that populate this world. What will happen to them? Are we to just stand by and let others suffer fates that they do not deserve? That path will lead the world into chaos. That, Akito, is inevitable. The Sohma family was not meant to cause destruction and terror, we are meant to help others."

Akito's thin lips curled into an angry smirk. "Others? What about us? You? Me? Kureno and the rest of the family? Don't we deserve to be on top and in charge of things? I'm tired of doing and not receiving anything in return for my work. The path that allies us with Akira is the one that we need to take to rule the world."

"You're mad," Haru said, shaking his head. "Mad crazy and mad angry. I don't know how you could even think such a solution would be acceptable. I can't believe this. I need to warn the others."

Haru turned on his heel and walked towards the door. But, just as he was about to walk through, it slammed in his face, as did the other five doors on opposing sides of the room. Akito smiled and stood up from her chair.

"You're forgetting Haru. I have more power than you. Your will is not as strong as mine. You don't have the power to oppose me. You don't even have the power to leave this room."

With a wave of her hand, Akito sent Haru flying into the surrounding stone walls, nearly knocking the breath right out of Haru's body. Sliding down the wall's surface, Haru's feet finally slammed into the floor, making his knees buckle on impact. Haru hastily scrambled to his feet only to be sent rocketing upwards into the ceiling immediately thereafter. The tremor felt like a belly flop on his back. But Haru had no time to think about the pain, for he was instantaneously sent flying back towards the solid stone floors at top speed. Bracing his body for the brunt of the floor, Haru closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

But the impact never came.

He opened his eyes to find himself hovering only centimeters above the floor. He was so close that his nose was practically touching the speckled rock beneath him.

"Akito…" Haru snarled.

Akito laughed in her throat as Haru tried to free himself from the grasp that held him above the ground. Akito unclenched her hand and let the squirming Haru fall to the floor like a sack of bricks.

Haru felt blood in his mouth as he hoisted his aching body from the ground once more. It tasted bitter and acidic on his tongue. "I don't know what you are planning Akito, but your path is clouded by your selfishness. You will not succeed, even if you kill me."

Akito smiled maliciously. "My dear Haru, why would I ever kill you when I love seeing you writhe?"

The last thing he saw was Akito's narrow eyes, sparkling wildly with mystery, animosity, but most of all, evil. With a final movement of her wrist, Akito threw Haru into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

_Where am I?_

Haru's bruised eyes cracked open wide enough to see the night sky looming over his beaten body. He sat up and winced, his abdomen pulsating in pain from what felt like a cracked rib. The assault Akito had laid down seemed to have already taken its toll.

He slowly and painfully steadied himself up against a nearby black pillar, his eyes surveying his surroundings in the process. Judging by the fact that he could see the ground looming nearly 200 feet below him, he assumed that he was on top of the tower. That could prove to be a problem. As his legs straightened up, he gasped in discomfort. The breath was deathly cold and made his chest ache and his head hurt.

_Damn her_.

He peered over the edge of the tower again, trying to determine a way to get himself down. The drop was sickeningly steep.

_Well, that's obviously not a safe way down._

There just had to be another way.

As he stood their, pondering his extrication, Haru failed to notice a small tan-colored monkey making its way up the small stone pillar that he was leaned up against. With a small leap, the monkey landed on Haru's white head, causing the cow to nearly jump out of his shoes.

"What in the hell?" Haru said, snatching the small primate from his head. As the monkey stared back into Haru's brown eyes, a little light bulb suddenly went off in Haru's head. "Good God! Ritsu? What are you doing here?"

The monkey's soft, chestnut brown eyes welled up with tears. "Oh my God! I'm soooooooooo ssssoooooorrrrrry! Pllllleeeaaaasssse forgive meeeeeee! I do not deserve to live for scaring you like that!"

The monkey squirmed from Haru's grasp and made its way to the side of the tower. Preparing to jump off, the monkey shouted, "This world is better off without me!"

Just as the monkey was about to plunge to its death, Haru grabbed it from the ledge.

"Ritsu," Haru began. "I'm very glad that you came to help me. Thank you."

The hysteric monkey finally relaxed and Haru set him down. "Really? You're glad?" The monkey sniffed.

Haru nodded and sat down beside the monkey. "Yes. But before I praise you any further, we need to get out of here."

"Right."

The monkey motioned for Haru to follow him as they made their way down the tower by way of an old, though surprisingly sturdy, ladder. After a few near fatal slips by Haru and a few more suicide attempts by the monkey named Ritsu, the two finally made it all the way down the ladder and safely onto the ground. Through a secret route that Ritsu had followed to where Haru had been held captive, they escaped; out of Akito's grasp and out of harm's way.

For the time being.

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yeah, so...that was like wierd. y'know that feeling where you read something you wrote a long time ago and nearly barf at how bad it was? cause i look at this and i'm like "damn, this is bad."

i know i sound hard on myself, but i can't help it.

so anyways, the nextchapter introduces quite a few new characters, so brace yourself.


	6. Chapter 6: The Fellowship of the Ring

this chapter is wierd. i don't like using the places from LOTR and the names from furuba. it throws me off to see "tohru is going to mordor."

whatev. let's get on with it.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 6: The Fellowship of the Ring**

Tohru was ecstatic. It was good to know that Haru was safe and that there was a plausible reason for his disappearance, but actually seeing him made her overjoyed. She felt like she hadn't seen him in months, even though it had been only a few days.

She loved him like an older brother. He was someone who protected her just because. His brotherly charm sometimes made her forget that he was still younger than her.

Tohru talked with Haru for a while before the incorrigible Hana and Uo came bounding through the doors and onto Tohru's king size bed.

"Tohru! You're alright! We were so worried!" Uo gasped, hugging Tohru tightly.

"Yeah! We weren't sure if you were going to make it here in time!" Hana chimed in, beginning to braid Tohru's hair.

Tohru giggled and assured them both that she was absolutely fine and that she was happy that they came to see her. "Well it's our pleasure Tohru." Hana said.

"Yeah, but shouldn't some other people be here too…?" Uo trailed off, looking around the room.

"Speaking of that, weren't those two here almost the whole time she was asleep?"

Tohru was about to ask who they were talking about when Yuki and Kyo appeared in the doorway. Their eyes lit up at the sight of Tohru looking happy and feeling better. Kyo ran over to Tohru's side, a big smile plastered to his face. He began to say something, but suddenly backed away and muttered, "Feeling better?"

"Yes! Thank you so much for asking Kyo." Tohru said happily.

Kyo instantly turned a rather deep shade of crimson at Tohru's remark. He walked over to a nearby chair and plopped down in a flustered heap. Yuki strode over to Tohru's side and knelt down next to the bed. Cupping one of her hands into both of his own, Yuki stared into Tohru's eyes and said, "Miss Honda, I am relieved to hear that you are recovering from your injury. I'm glad that nothing worse has befallen you."

Tohru's cheeks turned hot and the head of a nearby feline reached boiling as Yuki smiled warmly and released Tohru's hand. Haru sat back in his chair and watched in amusement as Kyo sat fuming in the corner. _That is downright pathetic. And yet mildly entertaining._

As Haru contemplated why it was that Kyo's behavior hadn't dawned on Tohru yet, Hana and Uo chatted with Tohru. After a while, Hana announced that she was hungry, therefore provoking everyone else to get up and help her hoard for food. Despite some argument on Tohru's condition, Yuki and Kyo agreed to let her walk about on her own.

While walking through the wonderful halls of Rivendale, Tohru and everyone else were greeted by many elves and other humans. Seeing them suddenly reminded Tohru of something. "Who was that beautiful woman?"

"Hatori only told us that she was an elf," Uo said. "But I'm sure you can ask her yourself. She's standing right over there." Uo pointed over to a nearby fountain.

The woman was leaning up against it, an angelic expression on her face. She wore a gorgeous powder blue dress with dazzling gold silk lining the hem. Her eyes were a sparkling shade of deep cerulean and her golden blonde hair shone in the afternoon sun.

Upon seeing Tohru, the women stood up and smiled. "Hello Tohru. I am Kana, if you don't remember. Well, by the looks of it, you seem to be doing a lot better than before."

"Yes," Tohru grinned. "Thank you for helping me."

"You are most welcome. Now, wouldn't you like to meet the man that is responsible for healing your wounds?" Kana asked politely.

Tohru looked a little surprised but answered, "Of course."

Kana directed the group into a large circular room with crème colored walls and cherry wood borders. Sitting in the very middle of the room was a tall man with long, chestnut brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. He wore full-length cotton robes and a silver headdress with a small diamond nestled in the center of it. As Tohru approached the man, she gave a small bow. Which, apparently, seemed to be the wrong gesture because the man immediately burst into tears.

"How dare I make you bow for me like that? What was I thinking, dressing so formally? I'm soooo sooooorrrrry! I'll remove myself right now!"

The man stood up and bolted over to the nearby balcony, preparing to jump off. Kana immediately rushed over to him and said. "She bowed out of kindness. She just wanted to thank you for saving her!"

The man stepped back into the room and wiped some stray tears from his cheeks. He walked over to Tohru and sniffed, "Really? You want to thank me?"

"Yes! Thank you! I'm sorry if I was a burden."

"Noooooooo!" The man screamed, hurling himself towards the balcony again.

"How dare I make you apologize! I'm such an awful person!"

As he attempted to jump yet again, Kana stopped him and introduced the man as Ritsu, King of the Elves.

"Why in the hell would they make you their King?" Kyo smirked defiantly. His remark was soon followed by a painful smack on the head by Yuki.

"Behave yourself, idiot cat. Ritsu doesn't need to explain. We should be thanking him for helping Miss Honda the way he did."

Ritsu eyes welled up with even more tears as he welcomed them to his kingdom. They walked out of the room and encountered one of the most unlikely people that Tohru had expected to see: her grandfather. Upon seeing him, she sprinted to his side and embraced him. "Grandpa!"

"Tohru, my girl! It is great to see you!"

Tohru looked back at everyone and asked if could she spend a little time alone with her grandfather. Ritsu broke out into another flurry of self-scolding for not realizing that she would have wanted to spend more time with her grandfather in the first place while the others carried him off and let Tohru do as she pleased.

"So grandpa, what have you been doing?"

Her grandfather set off into a story of wanting to see the world again but his old age had finally started to catch up with him. He came to Rivendale to live out his days as an old geezer; walking around the kingdom aimlessly and poking young elves with a hard wooden cane who crossed his path unwittingly.

Their conversation carried on for a good two hours when Tohru finally decided to go talk with her friends and everyone else. Before she stepped out of the door, her grandfather stopped her. "Wait! I have a few things for you."

Turning around, Tohru watched the old man rummage through a few drawers and emerge with a beautifully crafted sword and a sparkling white shirt whose texture resembled chain mail. He held the sword out to Tohru first. It was stout, but extremely sharp.

"This is Sting," the old man began. "It has the power to sense the orcs, those of whom who serve the one who works against the Sohma family. Let it guide you on the rest of your journey."

Tohru graciously accepted the sword and watched as her grandfather picked up the white garment. "This is Mythril. Harder than the hardest weapons but light as a feather. May it also aid you on your quest."

Tohru hugged her grandfather one more time as she accepted the armor-like shirt and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, her grandfather said, "Oh Tohru! You wouldn't happen to have my old ring would you? I would very much like to hold it once more."

Tohru felt hesitant. She wasn't sure what her grandfather would want to do with it. She sighed and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, leaving the ring in plain sight. Upon sight of the ring, her grandfather's demeanor changed completely. His eyes revealed a glint of greed that made Tohru's blood run cold.

"Give it to me!" The old man lashed out at Tohru and grabbed the front of her shirt. Tohru ripped away and tucked the chain back into her shirt. Her grandfather shielded his face and began to cry.

"I'm…sorry, Tohru. I-I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything."

Torhu scooted towards her grandfather and patted his back. The old man continued to sob as day turned to night. _Nothing good can come from this ring, _Tohru thought to herself.

_It must be destroyed._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------_

Hatori walked through the kingdom gardens, taking pleasure in the sight of the beautiful array of flowers at his feet as well as the fresh aroma that they gave off. As he walked through the garden, a certain flower caught his eye. It was a gorgeous shade of purple that had silver tinted leaves and heart shaped petals. He knelt down and smelled the little flower. It smelled like summer's rain, the smell right after the rain had stopped and traces of dew stillclung to the grass. Some would call it a plain smell, but it was still a refreshing and wonderful one nonetheless.

As he picked the little flower, he heard a rustle come from behind him. He whipped around to find himself staring into the ocean-colored eyes of Kana. She stepped closer to him until there was only about a foot between them.

"Picking the roses?" she smiled.

Hatori smiled as well and slipped the flower into her hair. "Just for you."

He dropped his hand down and grabbed hers, making her beautiful facelight up. They strode through the garden in silence, sneaking glances at each other every now and then and giggling like love struck teenagers.

After a few minutes, Kana stopped and turned towards him. "Do you remember when we first met?"

Hatori nodded and looked at her. "I thought that I had strayed into a dream."

Kana stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "You did not carry the same burdens as you do now."

Hatori stared into her eyes. So many times had he found himself getting lost in those eyes, ever changing throughout the seasons.

"Do you remember what I told you?"

Hatori sighed dreamily. "You said that you would bind yourself to me. Live as a mortal with me."

"I still intend to keep that promise to you. I would rather spend one lifetime with you then live out the days of this world alone."

Kana held out her other hand and opened it. Inside was a silver angel pendant, a clear jewel resting upon it. Hatori stared at it for a moment, his eyes showing a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and sincerity.

"I choose a mortal life." She whispered.

"You cannot give me this." He said shaking his head.

The jewel held the power of immortality. Every elf had one. It kept them youthful and beautiful as long as they held it. And now Kana was giving it to him freely.

"It is mine to give to whom I will." Kana said smiling and leaning closer towards him.

"Like my heart."

He tilted her chin upwards with his hand and brought his lips down to her own. When they parted, which was some time later, he got as close to her as he could without hugging, and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I thank you."

----------------------------------------------------------

Ritsu, being the king of the elves, was the one who was appointed to decide what should be done with the ring. And being Ritsu, he quickly caved under the pressure of such a heavy decision.

With the help of the ever reliable Haru, they used their positions in society to summon the highest ranking warriors and most clever scholars of the world to the kingdom of Rivendale. The guests were all invited to join in a meeting to decide what would be done. Tohru was allowed to attend the meeting merely because Haru believed she deserved to for carrying the ring as far as she did.

At the start of the meeting, all seemed to be well. Tohru waited in anticipation for the meeting to formally begin. She looked around while she waited, taking in the faces of the people who had traveled from distant lands just to decide the fate of a ring. Three particular faces caught her eye.

One was a tall, thin man with waist-length white hair cascading down his back. He wore a pearly white garment than clung to his thin figure like a glove. His vivid honey colored eyes and perfect complexion made him possibly one of the most beautiful men Tohru had ever seen. She couldn't quite place it, but the man looked like someone she knew.

The second was a slightly shorter man with traditional-looking black clothing and jet black shoulder-length hair. His brown eyes and charming smile made him look irresistible, and his egotistical demeanor seemed to show it. He was surrounded by men that looked not even above five feet tall, by he chatted with them merrily as if he'd known them forever.

The third was the tallest of the three. The expression on his face made him look like he had just sat through a six hour yodeling concert. He looked positively bored and didn't really seem to care that he was making that fact known. What made him noticeable was not only monotonous expression, but his handsome face. His deep amber eyes and sandy brown hair accented with emerald green clothing certainly would make him a sight for sore eyes.

Along with the three men, Tohru noticed that Haru, Hatori, and Ritsu had joined the group that had been instructed to attend the meeting. As everyone quieted down, Ritsu stood and began.

"You were all invited here for the purpose of deciding what shall be done with the one ring. The ring, as you all know, if brought back into the power of Akira will cause a misbalance of evil and throw the world into utter chaos. I would like at this time for Tohru, the bearer of the ring thus far, to step forward and place the ring on the pedestal."

Tohru shakily stood up and walked over to the small pillar, feeling the weight of twenty pairs of eyes watch her as she did. Taking one last look at the ring that had almost taken her life and had corrupted her grandfather, she placed it on the pillar and returned to her seat.

An uproar of whispers erupted from the guests. The once bored man that Tohru had noticed before shifted in his seat, a mischievous smile forming on his lips. He then stood and spook.

"This is a gift. Let us take the power of the ring and use it against him. Give it to my father in Gondor. Long as my father sacrificed the lives of his people to protect all of you. We can use the power, to defeat Akira for good."

Hatori shook his head. "You cannot wield it. It is too powerful. It serves for Akira alone, it has no other master."

The man scoffed and took a step closer towards Hatori. "And what would you know Hatori?"

"Kureno!" The white-haired man said rising to his feet as well.

"Hatori is the direct heir of the man who ripped the ring from Akira all those years ago. You owe him your allegiance."

Kureno's eyes smoldered. Hatori quickly stood up to stop any further outburst.

"Ayame, that's enough, sit down."

The man immediately obeyed, giving Hatori an annoyed look. The man with the jet black hair stood up, pulling an ax from no where.

"Why don't we just get rid of the damn thing, hmm?" He said smiling.

He swung his ax over his head dramatically and brought it down on the ring with immense force. When his blade struck the ring, a metallic crack resonated through the area as the man was thrown backward. As everyone was quieted down from the recent event, they noticed that pieces of the man's ax were scattered all over the pedestal in several small chunks.

"Amazing," the man with the white hair said, standing up again. "It broke through Shigure's ax."

"It cannot be destroyed by any weapon or craft we here possess." Ritsu said knowingly.

He stood up and looked at everyone very seriously, which is really hard for him considering the fact that he's a nervous breakdown waiting to happen. He looked around at everyone once again. "It needs to be taken to Mt. Doom to burn its fires and be destroyed forever. One of you…must do this."

Haru looked around at the lack of volunteers and cringed.

"How could I ask any of you to do such a thing?" Ritsu suddenly cried, beginning to repeatedly bang his head on his stone chair. As everyone stood up in annoyance, arguing about Ritsu's behavior and the matter of the ring, Haru rubbed his temples and sighed. He stood up himself, prepared to intervene when he suddenly heard a small voice next to him speak up.

"I will take it."

Tohru stood in confidence. She repeated her words, but louder this time.

"I will take it."

With her second proclamation, the arguing men ceased and stared at her intently. Tohru took a deep breath and repeated one more time.

"I will take it."

She stepped forward and picked the ring up from its place on the pillar. "But I don't know how to get there."

There was an awkward silence following her statement. Tohru felt a little foolish, standing there all by herself. She hoped that someone who speak soon. To her surprise, Haru came from behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I will accompany you, as long as fate allows me." He smiled down at her and looked up, for Hatori now stepped forward, kneeling in front of Tohru.

"I too will join you. You have my sword to protect you on your journey."

Kureno stepped forward now. "You have my shield."

The white-haired man looked at Tohru as well. "And you have my bow."

"And my ax!" The dark-haired man said, appearing beside Hatori.

Ritsu cleared his throat, wiped away his previously shed tears, and looked at the five of them. "So it shall be-"

"OY!" Two voices shouted from behind Ritsu. Everyone whipped around as Kyo and Yuki came sprinting down towards them, a worried expression worn on both of their faces. As they reached Tohru's side, they both shouted in unison, "She's not going anywhere without me!"

Kureno smirked. "It would seem so considering she was invited to a secret meeting and you were not."

Ritsu cleared his throat again and said, "So it shall be-"

He was interrupted again as two more voices shouted, "We're coming too!"

Hana and Uo jumped from behind a nearby building and bounded toward the group of people standing next to Tohru.

"We want to come also!" Uo said cheerily.

"Besides," Hana said crossing her arms over her chest. "You're going to need people of intelligence on this sort of mission…quest…thinger that we're going on."

"Guess that means we have to come." Uo said nodding.

Ritsu nodded as well and cleared his throat. "So it shall be-"

"Hey!" The dark-haired and white-haired men both yelled at the same time. Ritsu's eyes began to well up with tears.

"What? What do you need to say?"

The white-haired man shrugged. "Nothing, we just felt like interrupting you again."

"Yeah," the dark-haired man said. "You can continue now."

"So it shall be: You are the Fellowship of the Ring." Ritsu said, wiping the tears from his eyes again.

"That has an official sounding ring to it." Uo said looking at Hana.

"Doesn't it though?" Hana reminisced.

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i like kureno, but the way i write his character makes him sound arrogant, i.e. six hour yodeling concert thing. it'llget better when he meets uo.i'll enjoy writing all the stuff with him and her. he'll become softer and more bearable. i'm debating on whether or not to kill him off later onthough.

the part with hatori and kana was wierd. i have trouble writing those kind of scenes without sounding forced. oh well.

i'll get better.

chapter 7 is half old and half new so it should be funky.


	7. Chapter 7: Ayame, Shigure, and Kureno

writing is hard when you go back to a story you abandoned. that being said, expect chapters to come up a lot less frequently.

not like its really going to be worth the wait anyway.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 7: Ayame, Shigure, and Kureno**

"So, umm...who are y'all?" Uo said, pointing at the three new additions to their party.

After it had been declared that they all were the "Fellowship", they were allowed to meet and greet in a separate room before they headed off on their journey. There had been an awkward silence between the ten of them before Uo had finally broken the silence with her pointed question.

Finally receiving an excuse to speak, the white-haired man opened with, "I am Ayame Sohma."

He bowed low and took Tohru's hand. "It will be an honor to serve you."

"'It will be an honor to serve you?'" Kyo scoffed in Ayame's direction. "When did you suddenly become so noble?"

Kyo's remark was quickly followed by a sharp smack to the back of his head by a certain rat standing behind him.

"Ow!" Kyo said, rubbing his head and glaring at Yuki.

"I know you were hitting me for being rude the other three times, but you don't even like him. Why the hell would you hit me for being rude to someone you don't like?" Kyo stared at Yuki, waiting for a response.

"It's true, I don't like him. I loathe him in fact. But I _do_ like hitting you. I thought that was an opportune moment." Yuki stated simply.

Kyo rolled his eyes and continued to rub his head.

"Why don't you like me?" Ayame asked, a fake sadness etched into his voice. "After all, I am your br-"

Ayame was suddenly lifted off of the ground. Yuki had grabbed the collar of his flowing white shirt and was holding him above the floor.

"You say another word and I will disown you forever." Yuki growled, staring at Ayame with a menacing expression.

Yuki then let go of Ayame, letting his body fall to the ground like a limp noodle. Ayame gathered himself up and looked at Tohru. "Never mind dear Yuki. He's just a little sour. If I can't tell you, then maybe you can figure it out on your own. Do I remind you of anyone Tohru Honda?"

Tohru looked like she was about to have an aneurysm, she was thinking so hard. Baffled by the fact that she didn't have some sort of clue, Ayame gave her a few hints. He batted his eyes then smacked Kyo on the back of the head.

With Kyo's second yelp of pain and annoyance, a little light bulb went off in Tohru's head. "Oh my gosh! You look like Yuki!"

As Tohru finished her sentence, Yuki's eyes widened in pure terror.

"Wait, you aren't like his brother are you?" Uo said, looking at Ayame.

"Bingo!" Ayame clapped. "Isn't it wonderful?"

Yuki look positively mortified. "No, it's a nightmare! You're the most idiotic, psychotic, moronic retard that has ever plagued the planet with their stupidity. I am astounded that we have the same DNA."

"You know what, I want some dumplings!" Ayame said, losing interest in Yuki. He walked away, leaving everyone in a flabbergasted state of awe.

Tohru, Uo, and Hana all stared at Yuki in disbelief.

"WE WILL DISCUSS THIS NEVER." Yuki said through clenched teeth.

After everyone quieted down over Ayame's sudden departure and Yuki's sudden migrane, Tohru introduced herself to the man with the charming smile and jet black shoulder-length hair.

"I am Shigure Sohma." The man said.

"Another Sohma? What exactly is the deal with you guys and always ending up in the same place?" Uo said, staring at yet another Sohma that had graced them with his presence.

Kyo groaned. "Ayame was bad enough, but Shigure is coming with us too?"

Yet again, Kyo's remark was followed by a smack on the back of the head administered by Yuki.

"What the hell? You don't like him either!" Kyo snapped, pointing at Shigure.

"I never said that I didn't like _him._ You were actually being rude this time." Yuki responded in disgust.

"Whatever." Kyo said, waving him off.

"Anyway," Shigure said. "I can't wait to start the journey with you and everyone else. What is better than spending time with three young high school girls?"

"Actually, you were right idiot," Yuki said, directing his remark towards Kyo. "I don't really like Shigure either. Now I remember why. But he is not as bad as that pathetic excuse for a higher intelligence being known as my brother. He is by far worse than anything."

"Now, now, my dear sweet Yuki, Ayaa isn't all that bad. He's just playful, that's all. If you get to know the man, then I'm sure you'd grow to like his gravitating personality." Shigure said sweetly.

"That's highly doubtful." Yuki scoffed.

"So, are you an animal too?" Hana said suddenly.

Shigure nodded his head. He walked over to Tohru and threw his arms around her, a rather happy expression on his face. A loud pop followed the hug as well as the sudden appearance of a small black dog.

"How cute!" Tohru squealed, picking up the little pooch. It barked happily and licked Tohru's face affectionately.

"Shigure!" Yuki and Kyo yelled at the same time.

They both leapt at the small dog in Tohru's arms. The dog jumped from Tohru's grasp and ran out of the room yelling, "Ahhh! High school girl-alicious!"

"Remind me to poison his food later." Kyo said, fuming after the dog that had bounded out of the room.

The third man, who was identified as Kureno in the meeting, stepped forward and formally introduced himself to Tohru.

"I'm sure the journey will be an interesting one." Kureno said.

"Great, another family member to add to the never-ending family reunion." Kyo said, unbeknownst to the fact that Yuki was standing right behind him, his raised fist ready and willing.

And sure enough, Kyo soon cried out in pain as another bump formed on his already swollen head.

"What the fu—"

"Can you please refrain from making rude comments to our relatives?"

"Quit hitting me and maybe I'll stop!" Kyo growled.

"You're an animal. I'm trying to teach you that something is bad by administering a negative action. Sort of like Pavlov's salivating dogs."

"Who cares if some guy has slobbering dogs? What the hell does that have to do with me?" Kyo looked like he was about to scratch Yuki's eyes out.

"You truly are an idiot."

Just as Kyo was about to retort with another not-so-intelligent remark, Tohru intervened. "M-maybe we should let Kureno tell us about him. I want to know what he's like."

"Fine." Yuki answered.

"Whatever." Kyo grimaced.

Suddenly, from the corner of the room, Kureno began laughing. "What's this Kyo? You're allowing a woman to tell you what to do? I've never heard of a cat on a short leash, but this could certainly qualify."

Kyo's face flushed instantly. From anger and from embarrassment. He took a menacing step towards Kureno, but stopped when he heard someone start laughing. Whipping around to ascertain the culprit of the hearty laughter, he found himself face to face with none other than Uo.

It was hard to tell who was more surprised, Kyo or Kureno. The feline was absolutely in awe that the woman had the ability to laugh while Kureno was absolutely in awe that a woman laughed at his joke.

"You're a funny guy, Kureno," Uo said slyly, scooting nonchalantly in his direction. "I see you're not a fan of the cat either."

"N-no I…just…well he's easy to make fun of." Kureno stammered uneasily as his face turned a light shade of pink.

Uo giggled uncharacteristically and held out her hand. "Hello, I'm Uo."

Kureno looked at her hand like it was going to bite him, but grasped it anyway. "I'm Kureno Sohma."

"She knew that already, dumbass." Kyo said, a bemused grin spreading placidly across his face.

"Shut up!" Kureno practically yelled directly into Uo's face. After his sudden outcry, he immediately let go of Uo's hand and stormed out of the room in flustered mess.

"He's an odd person." Hana mused, plopping down on a wicker chair.

"Stop that, Hana." Uo scolded unexpectedly.

Her eyes softened appreciably as she looked at the door where Kureno's retreating figure had been only moments ago. And just as Hana was about to inquire as to Uo's reasons of shutting her up, Uo walked lightly through the same door frame that Kureno had walked through.

Hana's dark eyes glistened. "Hmmm. Isn't this an interesting new development?"

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey! Maybe we can trade insults about the cat!" Uo yelled coyly after Kureno. She watched with a frown as he swaggered on, seemingly pretending that he hadn't heard her.

"Hey Sohma, I'm talking to you!" She called again. Kureno's legs halted when she called him by last name.

"Miss Uo, you do not have to address me so formally." He turned around curtly as she continued to traipse towards him.

"Miss Uo? You're starting to sound like the Prince and Tohru." Uo said smugly.

Kureno actually chuckled. "I take it you're referring to Yuki."

"Yup, he never calls Tohru by her name. He always calls her 'Miss Honda'." Uo's voice dropped a little at the end of the sentence to emphasize Yuki's voice.

"I'm sorry if my own formality offended you in any way." Kureno uttered, running his right hand through his short hair.

Uo teetered back and forth on the heels of her feet. "Didn't offend me, it's just no one has ever called me 'Miss' before."

"Ah, I apologize, er…Uo."

"Good job, A plus." Uo laughed.

They stood in awkward silence for a good 30 seconds before Kureno broke the dead air. "Well, I really must be going, Uo. I need to speak to my superiors."

Uo smiled, a small hint of mischief playing in her deep brown eyes. "Okay, but before you go…"

She took a small step towards him, her eyes boring deeply into his.

_Whoa now, what is she doing?_

"Ah, Uo—"

He was cut off as she threw her arms around him suddenly, crushing his tall, lanky form against her soft and supple one. His body went rigid as Uo simultaneously tightened and loosened her grip around his neck. But before he could say anything, she quickly let go, leaving him in shock and confusion as he stood stupidly in the middle of the room.

"Alright, you can go now."

Kureno continued to gape at her. "W-what…w-why…y-you…then I…huh?"

Uo laughed. What did she know that he didn't?

"Look, I don't want you to get the wrong idea or anything, I was just checking." She giggled, walking backwards towards the door she had come from.

"Checking? Checking what?"

"To see if you were an animal."

Uo grinned at him one more time before walking through door she had come through, waving goodbye to him casually as she disappeared from view.

Kureno was surprised. Aghast was more like it. He hadn't been hugged by a woman since…well, in a very long time. He smiled despite himself. It had been kind of nice. It had felt…

No.

He stopped himself. He didn't have time for this. He didn't have time to think about some woman. He had more important things to take care of. Who cared if she had mesmerizing brown eyes? Who cared if she had smooth, ivory skin, sun-kissed golden hair, and a slender, athletically toned body? Yeah. He had more important things to do, like…like…uh…

Without realizing it, he had forgotten what those "important things" were.

------------------------------------------------------

"What was that about?" Hana asked as Uo walked, or rather glided, back into the room.

"Oh, nothing." She answered, a dreamy sort of expression on her face. One of which that made a certain feline in a proximate chair gag a little into his hands.

"Don't tell me you actually like that guy?"

Uo turn on him in an instant.

When Shigure walked into the room several minutes later to inform the youngsters that Ritsu wanted all of them to get going, he was met with the sight of a pile of what looked law raw meat lying in the middle of the floor, as well as Yuki leaning up against a wall for support as he clutched his side laughing. The "meat" was soon identified as Kyo, as Tohru ran through the room with several icepacks squealing, "Did you really have to hit Kyo in _that _place too, Uo?"

"Yes, Tohru, I really had to." She answered, pretending to be mildly interested in a painting on the wall.

"Mmggeechhhoooo." Groaned the pile at Tohru's feet.

"Kyo!"

Some while later, after Tohru had nursed Kyo back to health and Yuki had been calmed down after erupting into fits of laughter from seeing the cat broken and bruised on the floor, the teenagers and Shigure proceeded outside where they were greeted again by Ritsu, Ayame, Kureno, Haru, and, of course, Hatori. Ritsu looked positively downtrodden as they approached.

"What have I DOOONNNNNEEE? HOW COULD I DO THIS TO YOOOUUUU? HOW COULD I MAKE YOU DO THIIIISSSSS? I'M A TRAVESSSSTTTTYYYY!"

"Be quiet, no one cares." Shigure said.

"Indeed." Ayame continued.

"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" Ritsu yelled, sprinting through a walkway and out of sight.

"He'll be okay," Haru said. "Just as long as Kana keeps him away from all ropes, blunt and pointy objects, cliffs, flammable liquids, and toxic chemicals. She should probably take his shoelaces too. Was Ritsu wearing tennis shoes?"

"Dunno. Do any of us wear tennis shoes?" Ayame asked, scanning everyone's feet.

"No, none of us wear tennis shoes," Shigure answered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But for some reason, I can't remember what shoes he was wearing."

Haru frowned. "A mystery…"

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" Kureno said.

"I think they all have Down Syndrome." Hatori chimed in.

"Or maybe their just all dumbasses." Kyo scoffed.

After the loving relatives ended their battle of insults, the newfound band of travelers decided it was time to get the show on the road. They all said their final goodbyes to the people of Rivendale, excluding the King of the Elves whose whereabouts had been unknown since he ran away in hysterics, then turned to the winding road that led out of the extravagant kingdom.

"So this is it?" Tohru said, looking up at Yuki and Kyo.

They both nodded as Yuki smiled and said, "Yes, Miss Honda, this is it."

Tohru held her chin up high and took a step forward; the first of many that they would be taking on their journey to save the Sohmas from the evil shadows of the ring that she wore around her neck.

It would have been very meaningful, had Tohru not tripped over herself in the process.

"This is going to be a long journey." Hatori sighed.

"You said it." Kureno finished.

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yay. ayame and shigure. i can make some brokeback jokes. next chap should be somewhat fun considering it will be mainly all of them talking to one another.

hilarity will ensue.

i was debating with myself (which was probably quite entertaining)on whether or not to add the scene with uo and kureno. in the end my "go for it!" side won out and i just put it in. sorry if its stupid. again, i'm also sorry for making kureno seem like a jerk-ass at times. it just fits.

p.s. sorry to say sorry again, butsorry if their was a lot of typos in this chap or others. my bad.


End file.
